Exact Delirium
by Candelle
Summary: When Angela is brought to the attention of the secret world she's been living in unawares, the best is the worst and friendships are strained to breaking point. Is all what it seems as nothing becomes everything?
1. Five Past Ten

**AN- Between reading Eclipse and explaining to my uncle that newborn vampires DID have teeth ("But they're _babies_!"), I've been thinking up this story. I hope you guys like, and I would love some reviews. And also - I OWN NOTHING.**

CHAPTER ONE- FIVE PAST TEN

_Love is blinding, no surviving.  
_You Fight Me, by Breaking Benjamin

-

I was off to see my Bella.  
I pictured her, awake and waiting, watching for my return. No matter the time.  
I glanced at my cell. It was 1:31 in the morning. I knew that was nothing to my Bella, when she was anxious for me.  
But what could possibly go wrong, for me? The Cullens hadn't bitten any humans, so the Quileutes couldn't get us on that one. And I laugh in the face of any vampire deciding to face me when I was returning home.  
But when it came to Bella...

I pushed my legs faster, feeling myself fly through the trees. Lowering my head slightly, I could just imagine all the different ways Bella could have been hurt while I was gone; that Jacob Black, a new vampire passing through, some villains in Port Angeles... even her own two feet. _No.  
_I told myself again, for the hundredth time tonight, that Alice would have seen it. There really was no reason to worry.  
But I couldn't hold back my feeling of utter joy as the trees started to thin and I caught scent of the sticky asphault of roads. I would have Bella back in my arms in no time.

The rest of my run was a blur, since the only thing I saw, felt, smelt, or heard was my Bella. Her laugh, her smile. Her blushing cheeks, her look of intuition. And everything else that made her so uniquely... Bella. And the next thing I knew, I was climbing stealthily to her window, thrown wide open in welcome, as always.  
I peeked over the ledge for a moment, and saw her. She was laying curled up on her side, facing the window, her breathing slow and deep; no hitch in her breath as I arrived. Her eyes seemed to be closed. Bless her, she'd fallen asle-

My thoughts were completely caught off track as her welcoming scent hit me. There was nothing violent or amazing enough to explain what she did to me. I felt myself sway, and I clung to the window to keep myself from losing my balance- as if. The balance of a vampire.  
If only she knew she dazzled me much more than she said I dazzled her.

I was suddenly surprised as I tasted an excess amount of venom creeping into my mouth, even though I had just hunted. I realized with a sudden burst of knowledge that I had frozen too long- my monster was coming out. I let out a quiet gasp, and flung myself from the side of her house to land back on her lawn with silence that would make a cat jealous. I raised my pale fingers to tightly pinch the bridge of my nose. I was not as prepared as I usually made myself be.  
I remained on Bella's lawn like this for a unmeasurable amount of time, until I tried again.

This time I succesfully got into my Bella's room with less difficulty, and creeped over to her bed. I laid down beside her, propping myself up on my elbow to watch her. I adjusted her top to somewhat protect her from my freezing arm, and I gladly wrapped it around her, marveling at the warmth. I allowed it to seep into my marble skin, slowly warming it as I held my Bella. I rested my lips to her forehead for a moment, and closed my eyes. It seemed I had missed her talking, and I frowned slightly. That was my favorite part of her sleeping hours, my only chance to hear her thoughts. I pulled the blanket over her more securely, and settled myself in for the night.

Current time: 2:03

------ ------ ------ ------- ------ ------

She stirred. A quick glance at the clock told me it was 5:58. Charlie had already left for work.  
I watched her with amusement as she was somewhat thrown off by the barrier beside her, until her brown eyes flew open in surprise, to see her vampire laying beside her.  
"Edward! You didn't wake me!" She scolded, but snuggled herself closer to me nevertheless.  
"You need sleep. And I'm not leaving, so no need to worry over wasted time."  
Bella leaned her head back to study my face, as if she didn't believe my words. Not as if.

She _didn't_.

I felt my face slip into a mask of pain, then anger. I had done this to her.  
I was truly a horrid creature.  
She stiffened next to me. I put on my best poker face, but kept my eyes off of her. I was genuinely afraid of what I might see there.

Pain, as she remembered? Confusion at my passing emotions?  
And in a perfect world (which it clearly wasn't, for I was here), her eyes would be filled with love, for my return. Never.  
I didn't deserve it.

So again, my Bella surprised me as she snuggled into my chest and kissed my snowy neck.  
I looked down at her in surprise, and let out a grin. Her eyes were closed and she was murmuring something unintelligable against my skin, her full lips very inviting.  
"I love you Bella. I will _never_ leave you again. I couldn't do it if I tried."  
"Then don't try." She mumbled.  
A chuckle left me. "I think I could handle that."

I wrapped my arms around her and slid her up to my height. She looked at me for a moment, searching my butterscotch eyes, until a sigh escaped my lips and her eyes got a distant, clouded look.  
I had dazzled her once more.  
I took advantage of her distraction and pressed my lips against hers, allowing myself to be more passionate than I strictly allowed myself to be, and prepared for the worst, and the best.

And, how right I was to do so! Her cheeks immediately blushed scarlet, and she threw herself quite enthusiastically to my touch.  
I struggled for a moment to restrain the monster in me, then allowed myself a few more seonds to the moment. I laid my hand carefully into the arch of her back, while she tangled her fingers into my hair, attempting to hold me to her.  
As if she could hold a vampire. But she wouldn't have to, if I was even _close_ to the right person for her.

I reluctantly parted from her, carefully removing her hands from my head while she caught her breath. I chuckled, and lightly kissed the tip of her nose.  
"Isn't it breakfast time for Bella?" I asked in a sing-song voice, but she remained quiet. "Bella?" I asked, glancing down at her. She had a content smile on her face, and her eyes were closed once more. I was acutely aware of her fingertips doodling randomly over my jaw.

"No response? Let's go." I muttered, and in a swift movement, Bella was now in my arms and I was bouncing down the stairs. By the time her eyes flew open, and was uttering a protest, she was seated at the kitchen table.

Her mouth remained open in awe, and I took the moment to retrieve some cereal and milk for her, crinkling my nose in disgust at what my Bella ate. I soon had a bowl and spoon in front of her as well.  
She looked at me appreciatively. "I've taught you well."  
I let out a laugh. "You didn't teach me a thing. This was all on my own account." I said, waving my arm at the food in a dramatic sweep.  
She laughed, and the sound was music to my ears. I reminded myself of one of my goals I made for myself since our first day in the meadow- make her laugh more.

It was 6:50.

"Angela is coming over today. I told her it was payback for the carpal tunnel she gave me when I wrote those addresses with her so long ago." Bella told me, her eyes on the remainder of food in her bowl.  
I chuckled. "And what torture is in store?"  
Bella stared at her spoon, which was tapping against the side of her bowl in a very uncomfortable pattern.  
"Bella?"

She still didn't look up. "Er... We're- I'm going to have to show her something."  
My curiosity flared up quickly, along with anger at her lack of sharing.  
"And what's that, Bella?" I struggled to keep my voice even, as I watched her squirm under my searching gaze.

Even I barely caught the movement, as she raised her left hand slightly, flashing the ring at me. "That."

"Oh." I said, then stood and walked over to her chair, hugging her from behind. "And no Alice involved? I like."  
She fumbled again. "About that..."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Who are you and what have you done with Bella?" I asked.  
Bella turned and glared at me as fiercely as she could. "I promised her!"  
"And I promised you Vegas... A marriage every ten minutes, you know."  
I could almost hear her roll her eyes as she stood to wash her bowl. "Can you just accept I'm trying to make you happy?"

My breathing hitched. "And what about your happiness?" Yes, I would love to have a nice wedding, if not quite _Alice's_ version of a nice wedding. But since I had already somewhat forced her into this, she needed to do it how it felt right to her.  
"Edward, I'm just happy being with you." Though she kept her back to me, I could visualize the blush in her cheeks, her eyes serious and loving on me. I felt my face light up, as I refrained from jumping with joy, maybe cracking the ceiling with my head in my enthusiasm.  
"So, when are they coming?"

Bella turned around and walked over to me, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss me, as I pulled her into a hug. "About ten or so."  
Another glance at the clock on the wall showed me that only an hour had passed since she'd waken.

"Then what do you want to do for three hours?" I entwined my hands with hers. Three days ago, she would have chosen the time to get ready to tell Charlie of our engagement, but we had gotten quite succesfully through that. We chose to tell him when it was what he thought to be just him, Bella, and myself, when Jasper was right around the corner to keep check on his emotions. Jasper said that he was mostly just shocked, and somewhat angry at himself. I had heard him wondering in amazement, asking himself why he hadn't seen this coming. And it had only kept him up one night, to top it all off.  
We got a similar reaction out of Renee as well. She was more upset, her thoughts spinning immediately to some thoughts of her and Charlie I didn't wish to see, but was altogether happy for us.

Bella shrugged, so I led her over to the couch and laid down, pulling her with me. She lay curled against my stomach, and smiled. "This will be fine."

Current time is 7:03.

------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------

It was 9:56, and Bella had just returned downstairs, wearing some jeans and the blue sweater that I loved so much. Her hair was freshly blow-dried, and she smelled absolutely wonderful. She sat down at my side, and we both stared unseeingly at the television. The sound was nearly muted, as we both just stayed within our own thoughts.  
10:03, and I heard a car pulling up the corner. Though I couldn't catch scent of the driver through Bella's stunning one, I heard Angela's thoughts as she wondered what horror waited for her. I let out a small smile. Wedding planning was hardly torturous. They would have a good time with Alice.  
10:04, and Angela was on the phone, telling Ben where she was, and that she didn't know when she'd be back. If only I'd known the irony of that at the moment because at-  
10:05, and we hear a scream, cut off by a gunshot.

And Angela's thoughts just as abruptly vanish.


	2. What Did And Wouldn't Change

**AN- I would have liked to get some more reviews, but I wanted to get this going. And also- I OWN NOTHING.**

CHAPTER TWO- FUTURES THAT DID AND WOULDN'T CHANGE  
_This is fact not fiction, for the first time in years.  
_A Lack of Color, by Death Cab For Cutie

-

10:06.

My ears were still ringing from the shot, and I had rolled me and Bella off the couch and shielded her from and bullets that may be coming.  
"I swear I didn't see it!" A voice was wailing, which could only be Alice. "Either it's someone who knows too much about me, or someone bored with a gun."

"Bella, don't you dare move from this spot." I said urgently, standing and running up the stairs and out of Bella's window, to keep the shooter's attention off of Bella's house. I felt Alice at my side as we looked at the scene, keeping unseen. "It can't have been a vampire. I don't smell one, and there's quieter and more effective ways of getting someone." I said, too low for any beings, human or not, in the immediate area.

_Angela's going to be ok. It was a guy, about 30 or so. He'll be arrested. I see the headline in a paper on the hospital bed in front of Bella_. Alice thought to me, and I nodded as I dashed forward, searching the minds of anyone in range. No one was thinking of shooting a young girl, so this must have been a very sick person.

I let my eyes move to Angela's car. I subconsciously realized that Alice and I had been holding our breath, in preparation for the wound. The car's windows were rolled down, so it must have been a side shot. And slightly above. Of what I could see of Angela, it had passed through her shoulder, nearly missing her neck, and came out between some ribs. Possibility of one being hit, and maybe a collapsed lung.  
"Alice, get Angela. Get her to the hospital. I'll meet you there with Bella." I didn't wait to see if she was following my instruction. I had already stepped the threshold of Bella's house, and was picking her up. She had obeyed me and stayed put, and was in the middle of calling the cops.

"Not going to help. Alice is off to the hospital."  
Confusion filled her eyes. "_Alice?_ That couldn't be right." She breathed. "What happened?"  
She didn't know. "Angela, not Alice." I told her, trying to look away from the horror on Bella's face. She flung herself onto my back, and I was running, only pausing to shut the door behind us.

10:08

------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------

It is 11:23

They had gotten Angela patched up. She had lost a fair amount of blood all over Alice, but luckily none was dripped on the path they took here.  
That would have taken some explaining.

Her parents were with her now, so I excused myself to sit in the hallway, half-listening to the thoughts of my father and the nurses with him. Carlisle was now being shown to another patient, so I moved my mind to the new doctor who would be watching Angela for now. They were talking of maybe changing some of the things they were giving her, but from what I've learned in medicine, it wasn't much.

Alice kept sending me updates, and Angela was still out of it, but was somewhat responsive. I hadn't heard from Alice in a bit, and a quick check into her mind told me she was focusing on the future. Nothing had changed, but there would be a visit from some policemen telling them that the guy who had shot Angela had already turned himself in. I laughed without humor.

I let my mind drift, for now.

11:32

------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------

12:04

_**EDWARD!  
**_"What?" I asked, irritated, then realized it was Alice's thoughts.  
_I got a vision, and it's changed! Ang is dying! Allergic to some drug they gave her... Ask Carlisle!_

I stood, quite alarmed, and tried to find Carlisle's thoughts... He was down the hall. I set off, trying to keep my pace human-esque, but failing in my urgency. No one had noticed. I caught sight of his familiar blonde head and hurried up. "Angela's condition?" I asked out loud, then added a lower and faster note- "Alice got a vision of her dying of some sort of allergy."  
Carlisle's face filled with worry, but then a poker face filled his complexion.  
_And now she's a vampire? What did you say to Carlisle?_ Alice accused.  
"There's no need to jump to that." I muttered, somewhere between vampire and human volume.  
Carlisle's eyebrows raised, but he soon understood. "Alice is telling you all this?"  
"Yes."

Carlisle nodded, and changed his course to the nurse who was in charge of Angela. "Any changes to Angela's condition?"  
The nurse looked somewhat surprised. "No, but we're thinking of giving her some C-"  
"Not unless you plan to add penicillin to the list." Carlisle interrupted, pointing to Angela's allergy section.  
The nurse frowned, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "Sorry."

I grinned in triumph, turning my head so the nurse didn't see.  
_Forget the allergy, but Ang is still a vampire...  
_"What?"  
Carlisle looked over. _What is it Edward?  
_I repeated what Alice said to me as we returned to her room.

Carlisle stopped dead, and I looked around in confusion. The room was completely empty of visitors, and all of Angela's equipment was turned off.

It is 12:17

We both rushed forward, and I heard only the faint rattlings of breath stirring from Angela's chest. "Where is everyone?" I asked, watching as Carlisle checked her vital signs.  
"Alice's vision is just going to have to come true. If we wait too long, we'll lose her."  
I nodded. Carlisle sighed, and took off all the wires connecting her to dead machines. _Who did this?_ I heard him thinking, as he scooped her up in his arms and dissapeared.  
I shook my head slowly, and my head jerked up as a nurse walked in. I put on a mask of pain.

"Er... Where's Angela Weber?"  
I pretended to choke back a sob. "You've missed her. She's moved on."  
The nurse looked confused, but then her emotion turned to pity. _Poor guy._ _That was probably his girlfriend.  
_"As if." I mumbled quietly to myself, too fast for the nurse to catch.  
_Should I let the others know he's single?_

I refrained from rolling my eyes, and pushed past the nurse. I had to find Bella and Alice- why were they gone, anyway?

I located what Alice was seeing- she was with Bella in the cafeteria. I made my way there, trying to hear Carlisle- from what he could tell, he had a while to run. He would wait until he got to the house to change her.  
Once inside the cafeteria, it didn't take long to find the source of Bella's delicious smell. I walked up behind them, sending a glare at Alice, who looked back at me calmly.  
"So..." I started, almost smiling as Bella jumped and turned around.

"Why didn't anyone warn me that you were going to eat? It turns out Angela's machines were _turned off_." I informed them, growling the last bit and focusing on Alice, knowing I couldn't stay serious if I looked at Bella.  
Bella gasped. "What? Then where is she?" Bella demanded, as I took an unnecessary breath in and faced her.  
"Carlisle's taken her to the house." I mumbled, so the other humans around us couldn't hear.  
"Oh." Alice said, as Bella's face turned to horror.

"I have to see her!" She declared.  
My temper took a turn to the worse, again siding with the overprotective side of me. "I wouldn't dare! You will go no where near a newborn!"  
"But she's my friend!" Bella locked her jaw, staring me down.  
I faltered inside, but I made sure not to let it show. "No. She's mine and Alice's too."

I could almost feel the burn of Bella's anger on my marble skin. "Yeah, but I'm guessing you'll see her regularly, huh? It's all fine for the almighty vampires!" She added in an undertone, and turned on her heel, almost stumbling over her chair in her haste. I already hated myself for making her angry, and followed her loyally.  
"Just leave me. Go see your great friend Angela." She said, a hint of desperation entering her voice at her friend's name.  
I stopped, and stared after her as she started jogging back to her house. Once she had left my range of sight, out of the hospital doors, did I allow my face to crumple. Alice hugged me quickly, and set off after Bella.  
"I'll watch her. Jasper?"

I shook my head no. "If she has a chance to dwell with no influence, she may finally see that her life will be so much better without me." I said quietly, knowing Alice would hear me as she left.  
I followed at a slower pace, pulling my phone out as I did so. I dialed the familiar number, and thanked whatever God there was as he answered. "Angela's started transformation. She's in pain, but I snagged some morphine before I left." He said, and I smiled. At least he would make this as enjoyable as possible, for a pure soul turning to the damned.  
"Great. And Carlisle? Don't let Bella see Ang unless you think it's absolutely okay. Let's be sure she's accepted she's a vampire and has drank before Bella sees her."  
I heard Carlisle murmur in agreement, then hang up.

As I closed my phone, I saw that it was 1:54.

When I got to the house, Alice was on Bella's front lawn, behind some trees to hide herself from Bella's window. As I approached, I saw the window was closed and there was a note on it;  
ANGELA ONLY.

I growled in frustration. "I could easily get in that room." I muttered.  
Alice nodded to show she heard what I said. _But she knows you wouldn't.  
_I sighed, and settled in on the grass at Alice's feet. "I'll go check on Angela." She mumbled, and I heard the sound of her footsteps as she ran back to the house.

My eyes snapped back to Bella's window as I caught some movement.  
She was looking out the window, her eyes watering slightly. "Er, Alice?" I called lightly.  
_Yes, Edward?_ "What is that bruise on her forehead?"  
I heard her laugh dancing on the wind, carried back to me despite her retreating steps. _Stairs.  
_Typical. The one time I wasn't there with her, she tripped.  
How I longed to run and comfort her, wrap my arms around her and tell her that everything was okay.  
Except it wasn't.

2:01.

**AN- Alright, I'm not going to be so nice for another update- I want reviews! Remember, that's the key to getting me to update faster!**


	3. White Lie

**AN- Okay guys, I know I said I'd be stricter with you guys, but I'm really into this story and I want to share. But please review, and tell me I'm not writing all this for nothing!  
P.S.- I OWN NOTHING.**

CHAPTER THREE- A WHITE LIE  
_Those sleeping dogs lie, never far enough away.  
_Speeding Cars, by Imogen Heap

-

3:09 am. The pain had left me completely by now, the fire within me quenched no more by morphine, but by the fact that there was no more blood in my body.  
I had been in this house once before, at the graduation party. This house was theirs, yet all of the Cullens seemed to be out of sight at that party. And Bella was acting strange.

Maybe that was when Bella first found out about these monsters... They- _we_ were indeed something that would cause fear to a human. I've wondered in these past couple of days, half drugged from the morphine, why Bella stuck around for so long.  
I could see Edward cared, he had spent most of his hours outside of Bella's house, only coming back to change clothes. He would inform us that Bella didn't seem to be eating, that her window was still locked shut, and she had started waking up screaming again, just like when he left her.  
We could all see Edward's pain now, shut off from the girl he loved.  
And this whole scene was because of _me_. I couldn't help but feel guilty, and I don't think I've been imagining the glares from my new family.

I suddenly remembered Ben, and I turned my head away from the closed door. No doubt Jasper would feel the sadness that washed over me, and would be sending waves of false happiness and comfort any second now, but I couldn't help but think that maybe it would be harder for him to see the sadness if I looked away.

_Grin and bear it, Angela._ I thought to myself, as I suddenly felt giddy. Though it calmed my emotions, it didn't stop my mind from working, and realizing what was really happening. I sighed, and pulled my knees close to my body, craving the warmth that was stripped from me. Carlisle told me my machines were tampered with, and I would have died. Who did that boy think he was? He was, in fact, only a _boy_. But so big! Probably didn't even know what my machines did for me. And then I wondered why I had _let_ him. I was so used to the thought that there was a good chance I'd die, that I allowed it to almost happen right in front of me.  
_Cold either way._ I thought, and looked up as I heard someone at the door. There came two knocks, then Alice entered without waiting for my reply. She came over and silently sat next to me, wrapping an arm around me, though it was far from comforting. It was nice to have all the beauty enhancements, the strength, the sense of smell and all of that, but it wasn't worth it to not see anyone I loved. I couldn't even see Bella! And how long has she been hanging out with vampires before? Oh, only two years!

I looked over at Alice, and she faked a smile. "Are you starting to feel it yet?" She asked.  
Blood thirst. She had warned me that it was around now when I would start to want it. _Ah, what the heck._ I nodded.  
It would give me something else to think about.

Alice jumped up, grabbing my hand and practically yanking me out the door. "Alright, most of the time we just hunt in this immediate area for deer, but I've decided we're going to go a bit farther than normal. Nowhere special, just some woods nearby where there are some elk.

I nodded, and started running after Alice. The Cullens and I had raced, to see where I fit in how fast I could run. They said that Edward was the fastest runner, so I raced against him first.  
Everyone was surprised to see that I could actually get pretty close to beating him. As for strength, my newborn abilities made it simple; I was stronger than Emmett. But once he had locked himself in his room, Carlisle pointed out that once I was a bit older I would probably have the strength of Rosalie or Alice. But those silly games didn't last long, and pretty soon I was back to just thinking about what had happened... I had my whole life in front of me!  
I had actually started to think of that day as the day I died. That is how I would refer to it- Before Angela and After Death. I let out a chuckle that lacked humor.

I wished I could speak to Bella, but she wouldn't answer her phone. And I couldn't call anyone from my family, or any of my friends. I sniffed loudly as I remembered that I had been declared dead five days ago, and that Angela Weber's coffin was to be buried tommorrow. I wondered how the Cullens would be able to conceal the fact that the coffin is empty now.  
I hope Bella will at least go to my fake funeral. Maybe I'll be able to speak to her after... Or at least Edward would be able to.

4:47.

------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------

7:25, and Alice had shown me the basics of pretty much everything I needed to know. I was surprised to find that I actually felt a lot better, and I was in a much more playful mood, despite how shy I always was. We were on our way back when Alice stopped, a now-familiar look on her face would have sent my heart beating out of control, when I was human. After a moment she opened her eyes, to find me standing in front of her. I grasped her shoulders and looked at her, questioning in my crimson eyes. Alice's face went paler than normal, and then a new smell hit my nose.  
I suddenly realized that this smell made me think of the boy who had been in my hospital room, when my equipment was turned off. Maybe I had somehow smelt it, and it would have been near impossible, but it was there in my memory somehow.

"Dogs." She sneered, after a very long pause, and I spun around as I now heard the sound of a loud and sloppy arrival. My eyes caught sight of six large shapes making their way toward us. I watched as the leader paused, and his shape spun into a more human shape, and after a moment he stepped forward, only wearing some torn up jeans. I recognized him as Sam Uley, the one who had found Bella that morning after Edward had left her.

My nose crinkled at the awful smell, and my eyes flew to Alice's pixie-like form, crouched defensively, a step in front of me.  
"You broke the treaty." Sam said, his eyes flashing to me. _What treaty?_ I thought wildly, but kept my face clear.  
"What makes you think that, dog?" Alice sneered, her teeth bared.  
Sam let out a laugh lacking humor. "That's new Bella, isn't it?"

It was Alice's turn for a laugh. "Hah! You think that's Bella? Did you even bother sniffing out her house before you came to attack us here? You're not even close." Our eyes snapped to a large reddish wolf turned tail and headed in the direction of Forks, a frantic whimper escaping him as he cast one quick, longing look at me. _What was that about?_ I thought, watching his retreating figure.  
Sam looked surprised, but he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "You think that makes a difference? Bella or not, it's new meat." He growled, as a whine echoed from somewhere in the trees behind him, and a ripple of unease passed through the pack. I allowed a look at Alice, and she was watching them with the same confused expression as mine before she regained her composure to answer Sam.  
"It's not my fault. She was passing through, and we decided to let her in to our coven. She's to be strictly on our diet."

I nodded appreciatively at Alice's choice of words, not exactly lying but not telling them what I guess was a treaty-breaking truth.  
Sam sighed, unsatisfied, but motioned for the dogs to prepare to leave. "Right. But we've got tabs on you, leech." He said to me, turning and leaping, morphing into a wolf before he touched the ground. A couple of cracks issued from the creature's back in protest, then there was nothing but the sound of the dog's retreating footsteps.

I turned to Alice, and saw her relax. "That's not the way I saw it. They must have changed their minds when Jacob left." She said to me.  
_Jacob? Oh right, that other big Quileute. I remembered him from that trip to La Push so long ago, when he was still boyish. Bella said that she knew him since they were kids._ I thought, then set off with Alice back to the house. We would have to tell the family of this meeting as soon as possible, to get a more detailed story.  
I looked over at her, watching where I was going out of my peripheral vision. "What do you think went on with that pack just then, when they saw I wasn't Bella?"  
Alice shrugged. "I have a hunch, but nothing big."  
We reached the house at 7:32.

And scent of dog was all over.

Alice gasped, and a growl erupted from her throat. I sniffed again, and my eyes flew open. "Alice! Wait a second. The scent is much staler than it should be if they just came."  
She turned to face me, her eyes wide and desbelieving, but she paused long enough to sniff one more time. "You're right. How'd you see that?"  
I shrugged, but then another scent hit me- Bella?  
I turned, wide-eyed as my enhanced sight caught the stumbling figure through the lingering fog of the morning. _Oh no. No, no, no, NO! _I looked incredulously at Alice, who seemed to still be unaware of Bella. _If I lose it now, just think of what Edward... Oh, god no! Please, let me not smell her!_  
Then, against my better judgement, I turned and pranced towards her, feeling my brown waves tumble behind me. I ran up and hugged my friend eagerly, with Alice following more enthusiastically that she had caught sight of their friend. _Huh. I don't even smell Bella...  
_As I looked at her, it seemed that Edward's assumptions were true. There were dark circles under Bella's eyes, and I could feel her ribs threatening to stick out of her when I had hugged her. So Edward _was _right. _Bella will have to get some food in her soon._ I pushed these thoughts out of my head- when Edward saw that Bella would be fine around me (which I had just convinced myself, that she would be), she'd be happy and back to normal.  
"How'd you get away from Edward?" I demanded, grinning widely. And he thought I'd attack my friend!  
Bella grinned as she leaned back, and looked me over. "You look great, Ang, really." She told me, then an animated look came over her face. "Well, it was Jacob really. I saw Jake coming, then Edward of course got distracted. I took the chance to get over here. So someone turned off your machines?" She asked, making a face.  
I nodded. "Yeah. It was only a kid, too. But he was _big_, like one of those Quileutes. I think he kinda smelt like the things, too."

Both Alice and Bella's faces looked shocked at the same time. I could understand Bella's look, but shouldn't Alice have seen this?  
"You didn't know?" I asked her, and she shook her head, understanding crossing her face, along with the traces of annoyance. She was about to say something when a loud growl was heard directly behind us.

I had already heard of his arrival, when I was telling them about the Quileute, but I had forgotten in my surprise at their reaction. "Edward." I said calmly, as Bella whipped around, her face a mix of surprise, guilt, and pleasure.  
He looked at me carefully, and drew his arm around Bella's waist. She still seemed angry, since she didn't return the favor, but I heard her heartbeat accelerate like a drumming in my ears. A very _loud_ drumming. I doubled over in pain, clutching my head.  
Bella dropped down beside me a second after Alice already had her arm around me. "Angela, what's wrong?"  
Again, her voice was ripping at my eardrum. What was happening? I willed my ears to stop listening, and closed my eyes while I waited for the pounding to go away.

Then after a good ten seconds, two pairs of hands were shaking me. I looked up to see Alice and Bella above me, mouthing my name. "Why aren't you talking?" I asked, and tested my ears and imagining a volume knob in my head, turning it up what I imagined a safe volume.

Edward gasped, and a large smile was spread across his face. "Angela! You can contol the precision of your senses!" He said, turning to the others. "That means she could program herself so she doesn't smell humans... That would make her ready to be with them soon... As soon as she controls her power! That could be tomorrow!" He said, and grinned.  
"That explains why I didn't even notice Bella... I guess I was willing myself not to lose it, so I didn't."  
"And it explains how you could tell that the dog scent wasn't fresh."  
Edward and Bella's heads whipped around, and me and Alice shared a glance.  
"Uh... Let's have a family reunion."

7:36


	4. Not Letting You Go

CHAPTER FOUR - NOT LETTING YOU GO  
_And no matter how hard you try, you never find the one you want.  
_Something to Believe In, by Aqualung

-

Alright, I'll admit it. I screwed up.  
Bigtime.

So as I ran with all the strength I had left back toward Bella's house, and away from the reason for all this.  
I remembered the first time I saw her, down at La Push. The shy girl whose seat I took so I could talk to _Bella_- not her.

She was so small and insignificant then. But of course, that was when I scoffed at my werewolf roots. I was young and stupid. And incapable of logical thought.  
I knew that Bella was the one, but not _the_ one. Not according to my pack, anyway.  
What was the deal with this whole 'imprinting' package, anyway? Just someone who comes along and says 'Hi, I'm going to dominate your life. Now enjoy me.'  
I growled, and a couple of sympathising thoughts were sent my way from Quil and Embry. I ignored them, and continued forward, determined to see Bella's face before my so-called love's took her place. And I didn't even know her name!

I simply would not allow it.

As I neared my _real_ love's house, I changed back to my human form. There was lots of thoughts I needed to think about that I didn't want my family to hear.  
Okay, first things first.  
I proceeded to punch a tree with all of my force, not caring to look at the damage I had caused to the trunk. I was horrible.  
I was so into Bella that I convinced a young boy who was to join our pack to turn off the girl's machines. I didn't want a soul mate, when I had left my soul somewhere far away, when I had run away after that Cullen boy invited me to their marriage.

I was so willing to end someone's life only to wallow in my own misery. What was happening to me? If I had not imprinted on Bella, then I would only do her wrong.  
So why couldn't I let her go? Okay, wrong question.  
Why wouldn't I accept it? No one in their right mind would let go of something as precious as Bella.

But back to the biggest picture. I had wanted to _kill_ someone innocent, so I wouldn't love them. And now the poor girl was a leech! Could I possibly love her, and be disgusted by every vampire bit of her at the same time? There was no way one man could hold that all in.

But _killing _her?

I tried to calm myself that she really wasn't dead. But having her dead would have been easier for the _both_ of us in the longrun. These thoughts kept running through my head as I walked toward Bella's house.  
Then it hit me.

The too-sweet smell of vampire.  
And the vampire I least wanted to see now, on multiple reasons.  
First and foremost, he was engaged to my Bella.  
And second- he probably just heard my whole guilty conscience as if I was turning myself in to him to be arrested.

I froze, my eyes widening as the pale shape turned his head to me, his eyes narrowed, but his featuresin a calm enough place.  
"Edward." I addressed him coldly, as I wanted to howl in frustration at my stupidity.  
"Jacob..." There was a very stressed sound to his voice, along with the hint of frantic desperation.  
I snarled. "What?"  
"You?" He asked, and my gut plummeted straight to my ankles. "You damned her to my life."  
I looked at my feet, refusing to speak. Then a thought hit me.  
"Why are you out here, leech? Shouldn't you be in her room, stinking up her smell?" I asked coldly, still annoyed at myself for not being so careful.

Edward growled. "Your fault again. I said she shouldn't be in the near vicinity of a newborn vampire, friends or not. And she got angry." He said, casting a longing glance at her window. I followed his gaze, and saw the note on the window.  
_So her name's Angela._ I thought to myself, cursing as Edward let out a quiet laugh that lacked humor.  
"Yes. So she's your soul mate, huh? I'd like to see how that works out."

I growled in outrage. "You stay out of my head, bloodsucker!"  
Edward held his hands up, palms facing me as if he was directing traffic. "Slow down there, pup. Easier said than done."  
"Alright, then keeping myself out of that house is easier said than done, also." I countered.  
He growled once more. "You wouldn't dare."

I sniffed at the air, and I restrained myself from laughing. "Well, I'd show you my daring, but it seems hardly worth it when Bella's not in the house."  
His head whipped around as he cursed loudly. "This isn't the last of this, dog." He told me, before running off in the direction of his house.

I allowed myself a minute, then let out a good laugh as I phased and started home.

**AN- I know, I know. It's a short chapter, but I had to explain this whole 'There was a Quileute in my room' stuff with Angela. Review me, please!**


	5. My Guardian

**AN- Those reviews are still coming a bit slower than I'd like, but some are better than none guys! Here's a longer-ish chapter for you guys, to make up for the last short-ish one. And I promise a BellaxEdward chapter next!**

CHAPTER FIVE - MY GUARDIAN  
_I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven.  
_Your Guardian Angel, by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

-

We had eventually gotten the family together for a meeting. Rosalie wasn't pleased, and scoffed at everything that was said. But I could tell from the look on Edward's face that her thoughts were much gentler. I chuckled at the thought.  
All that we had been able to figure out was that the werewolves had thought that I was Bella. Though I wasn't, Carlisle made it very clear that we _had_ broken the treaty, and that as soon as the wolves found out we were all pretty much in deep.

After a while I was tired of hearing some options repeated over and over, and decided to try to get some answers out of Edward.  
_So, Edward. I have a question for you._ I thought. His expression held no change, so I kept thinking the phrase over and over until he raised an eyebrow at no one in particular.  
_Okay. So Bella's story is that Jacob showed up, and she got away while you were distracted. But I know you. That conversation had to be something pretty bad for you to miss Bella like that. Would you like to share with the class?_

He visually tensed as I mentioned Jacob, and then started to fidget uncomfortably. I saw Bella next to me look between us in confusion, and I had to let out a chuckle.  
_Okay, _brother_. Any day now would be lovely._

"Shut it Ang." He mouthed, too low for Bella or the other vampires, deep in conversation. I raised the volume in to my ears, and tested trying to only tune it to Edward. To my surprise, his voice was raised while the conversation on the other side of the room was still only a mumble in my ear. But here was an edge to Edward's voice, a sort of frantic desperation I hadn't failed to miss. My eyebrows pulled into a worried line over my crimson eyes as I watched Edward. Then he suddenly turned toward me, his tawny eyes filled with pity.  
"It was pretty bad." He told me, again using the voice that wouldn't carry over to the others.

_Will you tell me?_ Edward cringed, and I looked over to Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle. I wondered if we were really as quiet as I thought we were being, but it looked as if no one had heard.  
But just as I was about to look back at Edward, Jasper's head snapped up and his face turned to an expression of pain. I looked between Edward and Jasper- they both now had the frantic and wild look in their eyes, their faces mirroring the other's pain. Were Edward's emotions really that strong?  
I reached over Bella to grasp his shoulder, but that seemed to throw him into a deeper current of dispair.  
_Edward! What is i-  
_My own thought was cut off as there was a sharp gasp and Jasper slumped to the floor, writhing in pain. Alice let out a cry and kneeled down beside him, as everyone's faces turned to one of shock.

"No! Stop, stop it!" Jasper was crying, coughing up dry sobs. I looked at Edward, and he shared a glance with me before realizing what he had to do. A calm rippled over him as he found Jasper's thoughts, then he was gasping in pain too. "He's having an emotional breakdown, so to say. I need everyone incapable of restraining their emotions to leave the near vicinity." He told us calmly, looking at Alice.  
She looked up to her brother's face. "Me? I'm not leaving him in pain." She declared, setting her jaw.  
"I'm afraid he has a point, Alice." I said quietly, then I got an idea.  
_Edward, do you think I could tune down my emotions?_ I asked him.

"Brilliant! Try it Angela." He told me, frowning slightly as Alice still refused to leave. He was just starting to reason with her as I tuned down my hearing for a moment, then focused on keeping calm. Then I tried remembering emotions, allowing them to come in turn and envelope me, then sending them off as I did so.  
Once I had gotten that down, I again imagined the volume knob in my head and turned it down in my head.

I came back to the scene at hand, a new peace about me. I felt oddly dead in some way (even more dead than a vampire), like I'd lost my spark, and I looked down at Jasper. He was still in pain, but I didn't start as I gazed at his writhing frame. It would have disgusted me to see him like this and not react, if I had emotion.

Jasper started to calm, looking up at me with hope in his eyes. I kneeled beside him, and he curled up against me, clinging to the lack of conscience I had.  
I patted his back calmly, knowing that I probably looked like a zombie, attempting to comfort him without being able to feel compassion.

Somewhere in my mind, I registered that we were the only three in the house. I looked to Edward. He had done a good job in getting calm, but I could still see the more complex emotions in his eyes.  
"What should I do?" I asked, my voice an even monotone.

Edward watched me. "Could you maybe vent your power out to him, and turn down his emotions?" He asked slowly, watching me curiously. I shrugged, and picked up Jasper lightly, sitting on the couch and setting him in my lap, since he was still clinging to me. I had no idea how to go about this, and I was somewhat aware of Edward in my thoughts.

I tried first to breathing in rythym to Jasper, matching his slowing breaths. Once I had gotten it down, I leaned my head against his and held him close to me. I tried to imagine how his mind worked, and then suddenly a wave of ghastly pain and despair washed over me, along with plain emptyness, like a giant black hole, but comforting compared to the other emotions. I jumped and broke the connection with Jasper's mind as the realization of what I just did washed over me- I had just felt Edward's and my own lack of emotion from Jasper's mind. I noticed that my breathing was nearing hyperventilation, and I took a deep breath. Then I lowered my head to his once more, and repeated the breathing exercise. Once I felt myself in his mind again, I felt around for the similar tingling sensation that sparked down my spine as I felt contact with my power. Then I again imagined the emotional volume knob, and turned it down slowly, searching for some sort of sign that I had reached the normal limit. I had turned it down a fair amount where I felt a little snag in it, and went the other way until I felt it again. I stopped, and allowed myself a few more seconds in Jasper's mind, wanting to get used to the feeling for future use. It was then I realized, through Jasper's brain, that the body hold him was shaking with a leaf. I wondered who that was, then remembered that it was_ me_ who was holding him. I felt my way back to my own mind, then instantly regretted it.

The pain that wracked through my body was so intense that I didn't even have the will to scream. Suddenly I felt my cheek against the ground, and I registered that I was laying on the floor, multiple people standing over me. I whimpered, and heard someone calling Bella's name, Alice, Edward. It was now screaming for anyone. It said it needed help, it wanted out of here. I wanted to help whoever it was, put them out of their pain as I had done Jasper.  
"I'm here, Angela. We're all here." I heard Bella saying, then realized that it was me.  
It was me who wanted out of here, wherever here was.  
Then it all just dissapeared.

------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------

I felt horrible. My mind was achey from the pain I felt a minute ago... Was it really a minute? I had no way to tell how long it had been. I laid still for another few moments, letting the previous night sink in. I smiled a little as I realized how foreign my body seemed to me, after being in Jasper's mind...  
_Jasper! _I needed to check on him. I rolled on my side and sat up so fast that I almost scared myself. After my eyes cooperated, I saw that I was in the living room, on the couch where I had been when I last remembered. They hadn't moved me?  
That must mean that I hadn't been out for too long.

"Jasper?" I asked, knowing that if he was in the house he would hear me. When I got no reply, I called out everyone else by name, yelling when I got to Bella.  
Still no reply. Where was everyone?

Okay, there was one last thing to try- _Edward?  
_There we go. As soon as I finished thinking his name, I felt something vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and put it to my ear without looking to see who it was. "Hello?"  
I was relieved as I heard some laughter in the background, then a familiar voice spoke. "Hey Angela, did you just get up?" Edward asked me.  
I chose to ignore the question. "Where is everyone? How long was I out?"  
Edward let out a small chuckle. "About a day or so. And everyone is in the baseball clearing. We were just about to start a game, lighten the mood just a bit. They're all extremely worried about you. If you're up to it, you should come."  
"Okay," I nodded, not fully remembering that he wouldn't see it. "And Jasper?"  
"Come and see." He said, then hung up. I sighed, then let out a stretch before I was out the door and running full speed towards the baseball field. I caught their scent and followed the trail. I saw the clearing ahead of me, and skidded silently to a stop, then walked out of the trees at a human speed. I barely had enough time to fully step out of the trees before something slammed into me, hard.

I gasped with shock, until I recognized the blonde head of hair in front of my eyes. Jasper had me in the tightest bear hug imaginable, and still refused to let go as we fell over lightly. Then his arms were quickly joined by another, and someone was kissing my cheek repeatedly.

"Guys, I can't breath." I complained.  
"You don't have to." Alice replied stubbornly. It must have been her who was kissing me.  
"We're on the ground." I countered, and heard her growl.  
"Now, give me my minute. And by the way, you will _never_ make me leave when Jasper is in pain again." She added, accusation in her voice.  
"I promise, just let me go!" I told her, and Alice finally stepped away, but Jasper lingered a moment longer. Then he raised his head to whisper in my ear. "You're my guardian angel. My Guardian Angela." He said, his voice low so none of the others would hear. "Thank you so much." He added, then stepped back. I took in a deep breath, and smiled at Alice. I felt a giant rush of happiness and energy soak into my skin.

I turned to Jasper. "Is it back to normal?" I asked him.  
He nodded, smiling big. "Yes, maybe a bit more enhanced, but I don't know if that's from sensitivity or from whatever you did."

It was then the scent of Bella came over me as she finally got over here from the other side of the clearing. She gave me a hug, and I was suddenly thankful she didn't have vampire strength, since she seemed just as reluctant as Jasper and Alice had been to let go. After a minute of slowly rocking back and forth, I reached behind me and unwound Bella's arms from me. She pouted lightly, but instantly forgave me and beamed up at me anyway.  
"Angela, you are amazing." She said softly, and it was now my turn to pull her into a hug. Once I stepped back, I finally took the time to look at the other faces. Emmett was almost twitching in anticipation to pull me into a hug, so I smiled at him and opened my arms. I couldn't fully wrap my arms around his body-builder frame, and I laughed as he picked me up and spun around. "You are forbidden to do that to me ever again, little sis." He whispered into my hair. Then he stepped back, and Carlisle and Esme took his place. This was shorter and sweeter, thanks to the fact that everyone was itching to play.

"Alright, let's go." I told them, and was about to follow when an arm blocked my path. I looked to see, in amazement, that Rosalie was in front of me. My breath stopped for a second as I allowed myself to fall into a gaping hole of lacking self esteem as I looked at her beauty, but I soon brought myself back.  
She was smiling, and she went to pull me into a hug, timidly and much more bashful than the others. It was soon brought to an end, but it certainly was a start.

"I just wanted to tell you this personally, Angela. I know I'm like this, so don't interrupt. I've been pig-headed about everything that has involved you with my... our... family, but after what I saw what you did for Jasper..." She stopped, and just let out one more sad smile at me. Then she turned on her heel to join the rest of the family, or what I thought was the last of it.  
I turned and realized that Edward had been standing underneath a tree, leaning against it casually. As I caught sight of him, he approached me slowly, coming to a stop feet away from me, standing awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. I broke the tension by running forward and hugging him tightly. He chuckled, and I felt his breath fan over the top of my head.  
"I'm so greatful for you Angela. The pain you went through... That was amazing." I stepped back to look at him curiously.  
He grinned. "Remember, I was in your thoughts. That pain was only triggered in your own mind. It's the only way for me to explain it, since I felt it too."  
I felt dread fall over me. "You felt that? Edward, you shouldn't have!" I said, hugging him again as what happened really sank in... All that pain, I had given it to Edward too...

"Don't feel bad. I needed to be there for you two." He told me.  
_And what about that story you still owe me?_ I asked him through my thoughts, feeling him stiffen in my embrace.  
Then he returned to his relaxed state, and lay an arm over my shoulder as we approached the rest of the Cullens and Bella, finding a place to sit out of the way.  
"Let's get away from Jasper before we do that. We can go hunting tommorrow." He said, and pulled him into an awkward one-armed hug before we found our places on the field.


	6. Unforgettable

CHAPTER SIX - UNFORGETTABLE  
_I'm in too deep now to ever swim against the current.  
_Vindicated, by Dashboard Confessional

_-_

The game went by a bit slowly for me today, seeing as Angela really was starting to get annoyed at Edward, it looked like. And kept pausing in the middle of innings to ask the others questions that they wouldn't let me hear. I let out an exasperated sigh as I watched Angela hold up a hand and look at Edward, obviously thinking something to him. Then her face turned sour as he simply turned away and gave no answer.

Alright, I did see his point that day in the hospital, when he said he didn't want me to go near her, since she was a newborn. But that didn't explain anything in how he wouldn't even let me hug her without being in the near vicinity. Like earliar tonight when Angela had just gotten here. I saw him lurking by the tree as I was hugging him, and didn't move from his spot until I had left to find my spot to watch the game. It made my blood boil.

My thoughts were momentarily inturrupted as I started to feel the rain on top of my head, and the vampires let out a groan in unison. I smiled a little at that, then suddenly Angela was right in front of me, holding her hand out to me to help me up. I smiled gratefully and took her hand, gasping a little as I felt the cold. I was still getting used to the fact that Angela was a vampire. I had always imagined her more beautiful than I, so the only thing that really gave her away anymore was her cold body and her speed. I couldn't even count her strength, as she was always so gentle around me.

I realized that I had been staring, and blushed. She let out a laugh that would put a bird to shame, and pulled me into a quick hug.  
"You're wet." I complained.  
"So are you." She told me, and we both laughed. Then she stepped back and I saw Edward making his way over to me. _Hey, at least he waited until our moment was done._ I thought bitterly, and watched as he continued forward. I was still brooding a little as he came to a stop, and I made the wrong decision as to look at his face. A flash of lightening hit the air, showing his perfect face to me in exact light, a grin spreading over his mouth. His hair was wet and pasted to his pale forehead, the bronze dimmed to a brown. His eyes were tawny, not my favorite topaz but still incredibly handsome.  
I watched as this Greek god crossover closed the distance between us, and all the reasons I was angry at him left me in the moment he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close.

He turned and sent a look at all the others, who chuckled lightly and then were gone, their speed untraceable in the darkness.  
Then he raised his hands, his fingers trailing over my now soaked shirt, and a gave an involuntary shiver as I felt him trace slowly up my spine and rest on the back of my skull, lightly grabbing a couple fistfulls of my hair. "You're soaking, Bella." He said, then playfully wrung out my hair.  
"Right now I could care less." I breathed, realizing that I was holding onto his shirt with all my strength, trying to hold myself up as my knees went weak.  
"I was hoping you'd say that." He told me, kissing the corner of my mouth with such lightness that I wasn't sure if I had imagined it. My heartbeat sped erratically as he quietly laughed, and his cold breath shook over my face, tickling my nose. I raised one of my trembling hands and wiped some of the hair off of his forehead, then let the back of my hand run down the side of his face until it came to rest on his neck as I held him still and kissed him lightly. I did my best to stay as still as Edward, even with the extra inflence of the rain that made this kiss so unbelieveably romantic. I realized that we were both completely soaked by now, and wondered just how much I'll dislike the rain anymore after this.

Then his eyes turned brooding, and he turned away from me. I sighed, and moved so I was standing in front of him again.  
"What is it, Edward?" I asked him, grabbing his face in my hands as he turned to look away. He paused a moment, his face softening, but in a flash his godly face was ripped from me and he was standing ten feet away, extremely interested in a random group of trees. I sighed, and found a seat on the now soaking rock I had occupied during the game. _Stupid vampire._  
"I really wish I had the guts to tell you." I heard his quiet voice, barely loud enough for me from that distance. Pain was scratching at his velvety voice. I sat for a moment while I pieced two and two together.  
"This is about what happened the other day with Jasper, and Angela, isn't it?" I asked him. I saw him shaking his head.  
"No... Well, yes. I'm thinking about what caused that to happen... all the pain." _Pain? What weren't the Cullens telling me?_ I screamed in my head.  
I stood and slowly made my way over to Edward, wrapping my arms around him from behind. "What pain?" I asked bluntly.

Another sigh escaped his chest, as he removed my arms from around him and turned around, searching my eyes. Whatever he saw there must have made his mind, because he pulled me into a tight hug, before setting me delicately on the ground.  
"The pain three of us had to experience. That night. Remember Jane, from Volterra?" I heard him ask.  
"Yes...?"  
He took my hands and kissed each one lightly, searching for whatever it was inside him that cared to share this with me.  
"It was like that. Just... pain. All caused mentally like she was there, but the stupid d-" He cut off, and shook his head. "Except not caused by her."  
I wanted to scream at Edward for not being completely honest with me. "Well, I know you felt the pain. What happened after you ordered all emotional people out of the house?" I asked, attempting desperately to see a smile on Edward's face again. Needless to say, it didn't work.  
I could almost hear the gears working in his mind as he wondered how much to tell me. "Okay. Angela was trying to get something out of me- what Jacob and I were talking about when you left. It was a... difficult conversation. Then back at the house, when Angela was trying to get me to talk, all the feelings that ran through me threw Jasper off, and his mind went berserk. His power was increased way past it's breaking point, and all the pity and shock in the room was just too much for him to handle. Especially Alice, who kept insisting that she stay with him, when her feelings had to be the strongest out of all of us. Anyway, Angela had the idea that maybe she could control her emotions, so she literally just... turned them off. Of course Jasper instantly felt that and was clinging to her... It was even harder to see Jasper in such pain, clinging for dear life to the empty shell of Angela..." He drifted off, his body shivering. I hugged him as tightly as I could until he returned to his normal stillness.  
"Then I told her that maybe she should try to enter Jasper's mind and prevent it from driving him insane... And she did it! I was reading her thoughts, and all was going well. But somewhere in my own mind, I realized that it was taking too long to be healthy. Then I saw her shaking, and she was still in Jasper. I don't know how long she was shaking, but when she came back... The pain, it was horrible. Her emotions came back to her in a rush, and she was just shaking so hard..." He let out a sob, and his knees buckled beneath him.

This time he pulled me to him, and clung to me helplessly, gasping and sobbing tearless cries. After an undefined amount of time, his cries ceased and he just continued clinging to me, just as I imagined Jasper and Angela. Then suddenly he let out a happier sigh, and nuzzled his cheek into the crook of my neck. "Thank you." He whispered to me lightly.  
"Anytime." I told him, and another unmesurable amount of time passed.

"You smell far too good in the rain." He told me suddenly, pulling away for a moment to kiss the top of my nose, before resting his cheek against mine. He was saying something against my skin, and I felt goosebumps rise up my arms at his touch. His arms were around my waist again, and I gasped as I felt the cold against the small of my back, as he lifted my shirt up slightly. "And you're far too warm." He added, kissing my jaw.

"Alice never said rain." I managed to chatter, wondering at his sudden mood change, as hard as it was to speak when Edward was kissing me like this.  
"I told her not to mention it." He told me, my heartbeat raising as I felt his mouth moving over my lips, singing an unknown tune. I couldn't handle it anymore. I closed whatever space was left between us, and felt him stiffen for a moment before he returned the affection.

"Why aren't you being so careful?" I asked him, needing to break the connection to breath anyway.  
"Angela did me a little favor." He said, waiting patiently as he watched me click the pieces together. It took me a moment, but I finally got it.  
"Angela? But I thought that it hurt her to do that!" I was shocked that he had Angela turn down his scent to me, but I knew that this would be our time to fully enjoy being engaged.  
Edward nodded. "She knew what to do this time, so she got it done quickly, and it didn't hurt her nearly as bad once she got back in her own mind. Nothing more than falling down, she said. She seemed to want to put it in terms you would understand." He smirked at me, and my breathing stopped for what seemed to be a long amount of time, despite my slight annoyance.

He kissed me again, and I allowed the blood to rush through me as I realized what this meant. I clutched at the back of his head, pulling him to me. He chuckled, and I felt his hands on my waist and he ran his fingers over me, causing the trails they took to burn like fire after, and I realized for a moment how cold I was.  
But frankly, right now I could care less. He kissed my lower lip, and I gasped as I felt his tongue trace along it. His body shook a bit with laughter, but then he stopped, as if he was fighting some sort of internal dilemma. Then my heart skipped about ten beats as I felt his tongue enter my mouth, softly and tentatively, wondering of my reaction.

I hugged him close to me, and I kissed him back, trying to show him through this kiss just how much he meant to me, how to show him that the last years of my life had been the best of them. His hands rubbed my back, and I gasped at the warmth that lingered after his cold hands had passed, and it took me a moment to realize that he had raised my shirt up, the soaking material clinging to me much higher than I thought reasonable for any reason other than this.  
"And what made you think I would do this with you in the rain?" I asked, raising an eyebrow slightly, and he let out a chuckle.  
"It seems you've forgotton that I have a sister named Alice." He chuckled, kissing my nose lightly.

I smiled against his neck, and an idea came to me. "Did Alice see me doing this?" I asked him quietly, unbuttoning his shirt slowly and kissing the skin as it was exosed, and I felt his muscles tightening under my lips.  
"No," his breath hitched as I undid the last button, and kissed him right above the line of his jeans. "But I think I like surprises." He gasped out, and pulled me up to his height with more enthusiasm. He kissed me lightly, and pulled me close, feeling him tremble as he felt the warmth of my stomach against him.  
"You're so warm." He told me, as we tumbled lightly to the ground. I laughed and I felt him smile against my hair.

"And did Alice see this?" I asked, motioning to my shirt. He grinned sheepishly at me, and I couldn't help but smile back.  
"More or less?" I inquired again, and his eyes flashed full of mischief as he remembered what Alice had seen.  
"I guess you'll have to find out." He told me, and before I fully realized what he was doing, he had lifted my shirt up off of me.  
I gasped as it seemed that I felt his cold chest completely around me, and I saw him watching me quietly. I closed my eyes and leaned against him, kissing his skin lightly.

"I love you Bella." He told me quietly, before the world turned upside down and Edward was now on top of me.  
"I love you too." I said, before he kissed me again and what would be the most unforgettable night of my life began.

**AN- I'm sure you all know what happened next, and if you don't know, I'm glad that this story isn't going to be the way you find out. Remember to review, and remember that I OWN NOTHING.**


	7. News

**AN- Sorry for the long wait this time, guys. I've been busy with some tennis stuff.  
I'd like to start this off with a big thanks to Vennela for beta. I'm sure she's had lots of fun with my 'blah did blah, then blah' structures.**

**Also, all recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, though I'll say that the character of Reece does indeed belong to me.**

CHAPTER SEVEN - NEWS  
_That most definitely I will be attracted to you.  
_Teasing to Please, by Cute Is What We Aim For

Over the next few hours, before Edward promised to explain what I had been saving Jasper's emotions from, Jasper had taken on the qualities of Mike.  
He simply would _not_ leave my side, or stay still. After the seventh time of rapidly going through every emotion I could possibly own to the rhythm of the music I was listening to, I simply went into my head and removed my emotions from Jasper's game, while crossing my arms and glaring at him. Jasper sighed and glared, looking away.  
"I promise I'll stop." He declared, watching me carefully, waiting for my emotions to return.

Just as I switched them back, Alice came bouncing--literally-- into the room with such speed that I was reminded of a jackhammer.  
"Alice, settle down, before you break the floor." Jasper said, watching her with an amused smile on his face.  
Alice looked like she was going to explode with excitement. "Go on, Alice." I told her.  
She simply let out an excited squeal and grabbed my arm, dragging me out of the room and into her own. She closed the door behind us, and turned to me, positively trembling.  
"ANGELA! You are sooo going to be Bella and Edward's favorite now!" She announced gleefully, and I had a pretty good idea why. I smiled and waited for her to confirm my suspicion.

"What you did for Edward was A-M-AZING." She said, starting to spell the word then seemingly deciding that it would take too long. "I'm so happy for them!" She squealed once more, then snapped her mouth shut with an audible snap.  
"He's here. Keep cool, and block your thoughts!" She whispered, pushing me out of her room and shutting the door in my face.

I shrugged and made my way down to the living room and took a seat on the couch next to Jasper, who let out a smug smile.  
"He is unbelievably giddy." He warned me.  
"_Two_ Cullen boys, and only in one day? Oh goodie. Remind me not to please Emmett or I'll be crushed." I murmured, the scene playing out in my head as I heard Emmett's laugh from somewhere upstairs. Jasper's head snapped up as I heard the door open, and I turned to see Edward stepping into the house. The grin on his face was priceless.

"I heard that Ang." He accused, though the grin never left his face, and made it hard for me to take him seriously. He let out playful growl, his eyes shining and his mouth stretched to its limit. He approached me, placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it gently. "Thank you so much, but I miss her smell. Bring it back, a little?" He asked quietly as I let out a knowing smile. I leaned my head against his and reached my mind out to him, quickly finding the control on Bella's smell easily, as I had already done it. I turned it slightly, then raced back to my own mind. My head had a sharp pain where I had been leaning it against Edward's, but it was nothing compared to that first attempt with Jasper.

Edward smiled at me and cast a wary glance around. "No Alice?" He wondered, then flinched as she sped down the stairs and into his face, kissing each of his cheeks.  
I allowed myself to zone out while Alice got whatever it was out of her system. Then I felt a tap on the top of my head, and I looked up to Edward's sad little smile. "We should probably go now," he informed me. "Would you like Alice to come? What I'm going to tell you is going to take a bit more comfort than I myself could give you."  
I looked to Alice, and nodded almost immediately. "Let's go."

So we left Jasper behind, followed with a wave of calm, then we were running.

------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------

After hunting, we settled down beside a small creek. I had decided that this was where I would be the most likely to stay calm, since Edward had very clearly expressed his feelings for the news he was going to give me. I had a feeling it had something to do with my being a vampire, from the guilty expression on his face. Carlisle had told me that this was his signature 'I'm sorry you're soul was stolen from you and you're now doomed to an eternity of night' expression, and I didn't like it all that much. I cleared my throat lightly, waiting for him to say something. I felt Alice put a hand on mine, but I gave no reaction. I was so intent on Edward's face that it almost hurt to try to think of anything else at the same time.

After what seemed like eons, he opened his mouth to speak. "I'll take it that Carlisle told you about the Quileutes, and werewolves." He said, and I nodded. The tension in the air was so thick that I was reminded of something I had read a lot- 'The air was so thick it could be cut like butter.' I let out a small smile at the thought, and Edward's face stumbled for a moment, but he soon discarded the thought, the same small smile on his own lips. I felt Alice stiffen next to me, obviously feeling left out.

"Anyway, did he tell you about imprinting?" He asked, his eyes scorching into mine. I nodded lightly.  
"He said it was when a werewolf sees who his soul mate is. Seems a little sketchy to me." I told him. He nodded.  
"Fair enough. Well, no matter what you think of it, it's about the truest thing that exists for them." He sneered lightly, as Alice sent him a 'not-now' look. He nodded ever so slightly and continued his story.  
"Well, you were right when you said I must have been talking about something pretty bad with Jacob to not notice Bella leaving, as loud as she is. He had gone to her house after the meeting with you guys, to... sort some things out. And I overheard him. Of course he didn't realize until it was too late, he would have never dared being around me. The thoughts were dark... The thing that would send Jasper haywire."  
He paused again, and I let out a puff of breath, realizing I had been holding it. Edward let out a nervous chuckle, and continued.

"That day you were shot, and you were at the hospital? The shooting was an accident, but as you know, those machines were _not_. As you know, Bella and Jake were close when I... left, and he hasn't officially gotten over her. He doesn't _want_ to be over Bella. So when he truly imprinted, he wanted her out of his life as soon as possible." He watched me, waiting for me to make the click in my head and connect the facts together. When I still couldn't wrap my mind around it, he continued.  
"That someone was you. He wanted you gone, before he could get a real good look at you, and forget Bella. So he got Reece, that boy you saw in you hospital room, to do a favor for him. He is just too young, just barely part of the pack. Of course he would do anything for _Jacob_, the very _idol_ of the pack. He convinced him to go in and turn off the machines. So he did."  
Again he waited for this to sink in, and it was still having a little trouble getting to my brain.

"But you got to me first."

"Yes, and now you're not _human_, because of that _dog_." He growled, and I suddenly became hyper-aware of everything that was happening. Alice's grip tightened on me as she reached out to Edward, who turned away.  
"And I thank you for that, as I would be dead. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather not know anything of this mess. But it's better than laying under a gravestone right now, no matter how much you seem to want me to think different," I told him, always jumping at the fact to rid Edward of the stress that always followed him around.

"And do you know if it is still in play, with me being a vampire? Can someone imprint on their enemy?" I wondered aloud, to see Alice and Edward shrug in unison.  
"No one knows. Since he imprinted when you were human, he may have to pine after something that doesn't exist anymore. Or it just follows you through to vampirism." Alice said, and I jumped a little at her voice, as she had been quiet for so long. She let out a sad smile, while patting my hand. "We'll give you a while to think this out. Meet us back at the house." I nodded slightly, not exactly hearing her. I saw them get up and out of my peripheral vision, I saw them run back in the direction of Forks. I eyed the path they had taken, then my eyes wandered to another spot in the trees a few feet away, toward the Quileute border. I forced my eyes away, and to the water shimmering in the creek, shining under the sun. I stood and walked the few feet away from the shade and into the sun, feeling it on every inch of me as it shone down from it's exact center point in the sky. I stood still for an immeasurable amount of time, turning back to the trees, my eyelids closed. I waited again, until the sun was slowly covered by some gray clouds, and I walked forward into the trees, not looking to which path I had taken. That way if I ended up on the Quileute side--where I really wanted to go, then Alice wouldn't see it until I was there. I started to run, making quick time of my trip.

It turned out that luck was on my side, and I _was_ now at the Quileute border. I slipped stealthily forward, and took a seat a few feet away from the line. Turning my sight and hearing up to the max and my scent to the minimum, I waited for something to announce the arrival of a werewolf, or anyone else.

More unknown amounts of time passed by, until I saw a movement almost directly in front of me. It was far enough away for me to tell that it wouldn't be able to see or smell me yet, but close enough to see that this was indeed Reece, the boy from the hospital. He was dark, even so for a Quileute, and small. _Funny, the werewolves are supposed to be big. And he's just _small.

Small like regular human height, but still as muscled and sculpted as a werewolf. I let out a small smile and twisted my hair over my shoulder, no doubt sending a wave of my scent straight at him. He suddenly went stark straight, and made a beeline for me. As he drew nearer and his less adjusted eyes caught sight of me, his eyes widened and he shook his head side to side violently, his mind obviously imploding at the sight of me. I started a little at his eyes- they were the darkest of brown, maybe even black. Even as perfect my sight was, I could not see the difference between the pupil and the iris.

He continued to walk forward, pausing in a group of three trees, a good distance away from me. "Climb the tree." He ordered suddenly, and I frowned lightly as I saw his hands starting to tremble. He didn't have to ask twice. I was up the tree in a moment, and he blinked as he stepped forward into my line of sight. "I never dreamed I'd see you again..." He muttered, shaking his head once more, his dark, glossy hair glinting lightly. "I'll call Jake." He said quietly, then a shudder racked through his body, and he morphed into a wolf right there. I was shocked to see that he was pure white, in great contrast to his dark eyes. I stopped myself from inhaling sharply as he looked at me, his intelligent eyes watching me with a new light. I was glad that he wasn't so new of a werewolf, or I would be in between a rock and a hard place right now. Then he turned, his eyes narrowing, and I saw that he wasn't quite so pure. On his left hip there were some tawny specks, looking a bit like freckles. I couldn't help but smile a bit, when a new idea came to my mind- I had said that his fur was pure white, until I had just seen the spots... It seemed a perfect visual metaphor for his pure conscience, except for when it came to me, and the attempted murder. I shuddered at the thought, until I heard a crashing through the trees. It seemed that Jacob had gotten Reece's message. I could see glimpses of his russet colored fur before he slowed and morphed, before coming into my range of sight as a human, some destroyed jeans and a plain white shirt clothing his body. He nodded to Reece, who watched carefully in check as I lowered myself out of the tree.

Jacob was looking over me, the mask that I had heard Bella complaining about, saying that it looked like Sam. Then it changed, and I could see what Bella seemed to call 'her Jacob' as a tentative smile covered his lips, though his eyes remained guarded. I looked back to Reece, and he gave me a quick bow of his head before pelting off into the trees. _Dang, is that kid fast!_ I thought, but then my eyes switched to Jacob as he took a couple steps closer, his eyes looking over my body and making me feel extremely self-conscious. "Interesting..." He muttered.  
"And what would that be?" I asked, my voice a bit colder than I intended, though Jacob didn't seem to notice.  
"You don't smell repulsing to me." He mused, staring at me intently, as I did the same to him, though I could tell that I was more wary.  
"Erm... Thanks?"  
He let out a laugh. "No, vampires usually smell horrible to us, as we do to you. You don't smell me?" He asked, and I was about to tell him of my power before I thought better of it.  
"I've been holding my breath," I pretended to confess. He nodded.

He continued watching me silently, and I suddenly decided that I had had enough. I turned and started walking away, before I felt a warm hand around my wrist. I gasped as I was suddenly being turned, finding Jacob much closer to me than I had wanted. He was staring at my eyes, as if trying to think of a reason why his arm was sliding around my waist right now, and coming up with nothing. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh, and I felt his fingers trailing over my cheek, leaving lines of cold over where his hot skin had just been. I opened my eyes and pulled his arm off of my waist, and turned to leave once more.

"Angela, wait." He said quietly, and I closed my eyes slowly before reopening them and turning to look at him.  
"What, Jacob?" I asked him, wanting to be away from his questioning eyes, which I saw had now turned warm, his eyes twinkling and what looked like absolute adoration hidden in the brown depths.  
"I think it's possible. For me to love you." He said quietly, and I nodded infinitesimally. Then once again I turned away from him and ran back to the Cullens, glad to feel that he had not grabbed me this time. I ran as fast as I could, and soon realized that Edward and Alice were running with me, though Alice was falling farther and farther behind each second.

"You heard." I said.  
"Yes." Edward replied simply.  
"How much?"  
"Enough to know what color that white wolf's eyes are." He told me, and I felt his eyes on me. I suddenly felt awkward, and resented his eyes close watch. I knew he heard this, as he soon concentrated on the path ahead. Once we reached the house, I awkwardly yanked the door open and ran to my room, making sure that no more eyes would happen to land on me.

As I threw myself onto my couch and turned on some quiet jazz music on a CD that Edward had made me.

I could still feel where Jacob had touched me.


	8. Plans

**AN- I know, I've been bad.  
I've really been neglecting updates, but give me a second to explain; I swear, I'm more like Bella then I give myself credit for. It the past month or so, I'd managed to hit my head hard and frequently enough to give myself a pretty bad concussion. I've been mostly resting. Or as close to resting I could get, not writing anything.  
Then after said concussion, my mom decided to buy a car. From someone in Vermont.  
And we live on the west coast. I have _no_ clue what she was thinking, but she made me spend my long weekend crammed up in a rusty Suburban. But altogether, the car isn't _that _bad.  
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Thanks to your vennela, once again, for beta. It's such a help!  
And remember, my least favorite phrase; I OWN NOTHING. D:  
**

CHAPTER EIGHT - PLANS  
_Living is easy with eyes closed._  
Strawberry Fields Forever, by The Beatles

I wasn't sure what to think of this whole Jacob thing. He was my best friend, and I still loved him, but I had come to realize that the feeling was still nothing compared to my love for Edward. Nevertheless, I wore his bracelet with the carving of a wolf so delicately made. I realized that I had some excess chain in a death grip, and the skin over my knuckles was growing white from the strain. I slowly let go of the bracelet, feeling the slight pain in my hand from where I had punched Jacob, once upon a time.

It had been a day since Angela had met with Jacob, and it had been the main topic of interest within the family.

That and what was going on with Edward and me. That with the wedding coming up, and our night two days ago. I was reminded that it was the wedding that had put the chain of events in motion that brought Angela to this life in the first place.

Wedding planning. We were going to tell her of the wedding, and she was going to come with us to plan for the wedding. That's what Angela needed. Alice, Angela and I needed to go... shopping. Of course, Alice came skipping into the room at that moment, a grin on her face.

"I thought you would never ask!" She trilled.  
"I didn't," I told her somewhat coldly, though I had an amused smile on my face.  
"Oh, but you will!" Alice told me, shushing me as I opened my mouth to argue.

Grabbing my hand, Alice led the way up the flights of stairs at a barely human pace, up to Angela's door. She knocked, and we heard a distant-sounding murmur as welcome. I stole a glance at Alice, who shrugged, then led the way into Angela's room for the ambush.

"Shopping, Angela. We have some unfinished business," Alice told her, and I could hear her trouble with keeping her tone light. "Oh?" Angela asked, looking up at me with a questioning glance. My pulse quickened at her onyx eyes, which of course, I immediately associated with danger. Alice ignored my discomfort. "Yes. Remember, you were going over to Bella's that day? Yeah, we were going to be doing wedding planning," Alice informed her, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Angela shrugged, and allowed Alice to make her over while I made the necessary calls to Charlie. He agreed, seeing no reason to oppose a day out with Alice --God forbid I mention Angela as well-- to get some new clothes. As long as I didn't tell him that one of the outfits would be a wedding dress. But no matter how easy it was to warn Charlie, Edward was not an easy person to shake off for a day.

"Bella-" He started, yet again, and I reached up to place my warm finger over his lips, which instantly cut him off as he kissed it lightly. "I'm going to be with Alice and Angela, if you've forgotten. It's honestly going to be fine. Alice hasn't seen anything at all," I informed him, stretching up to replace my finger with my lips, kissing him slowly. I was hyper-aware of Edward's fingers drawing circles on the small of my back. I fought back a shiver as I heard a cough, and I turned to see Rosalie standing in the doorway.

"Shopping with the girls, and _I wasn't invited_?" She asked incredulously. I felt Edward let out a small purr-like sound of amusement, while my stomach plunged down to somewhere around my ankles. Then, I saw a pair of pale hands pushing Emmett through the doorway, into Rosalie's suddenly ready arms. Needless to say Rosalie was distracted, and a dolled-up Alice was linking her arm through mine and escorting me to the door, but not before I caught the grin and wink that Emmett sent me.

I looked at her face questioningly, wondering where Angela was. Alice waved a carefree hand toward the forest. "Hunting. She didn't realize how badly her throat was feeling until I was getting her ready. Sadly, she chose to hunt _after_ I finished her makeup, but alright." Alice scowled and then flashed a smile in my direction. Suddenly another body replaced her beside me, and Edward's scent filled my nostrils as I pressed my face to his shirt. He hugged me close, kissing my ear lightly. I felt him slip something into the back pocket of my jeans, but then his lips were on mine and I lost my train of thought.

"Be safe," I heard him murmur against my lips, as we rocked side to side for a while until I heard the car start. We both jumped, and I could hear Alice's silver laugh joined by Angela's smaller chuckle as they waited for me to get in. I hugged Edward with all of my strength, reminding him that I loved him before slipping into the back seat, hearing Edward shut the door behind me. Then the three of us girls were off to Seattle. Alice found it simply silly to get a wedding dress in such a small city as Port Angeles, so we were going a bit farther away than Edward wanted me.

Once we were safely on the highway in the Porsche, I looked out the window and watched as the cars seemed to be driving backwards as Alice pressed the gas pedal to the floor of the car. When I considered telling Alice to slow down, I heard her laugh and immediately abandoned the idea.

------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------

After quite a few hours in Seattle, we had found quite a few duffel bags full of new outfits for Alice, Angela, and to my dismay, myself. Then Alice was announcing that it was time to get wedding supplies. I groaned, and Angela squeezed my shoulder reassuringly.  
"Now, I think something clean-cut and long will look good on you, Bella. No-" Alice paused, looking over at Angela, who had placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"Let Bella choose the dress. I think we'd be able to handle it," Angela said quietly, and I could almost swear I felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. But Alice was shaking her head violently.  
"Come on, it's only fair," Angela continued, staring at Alice. Alice glanced between the both of us and then sighed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Fine, but I get to chose the rest, AND style the wedding place, and any other means necessary. Except for the guest list," She said, looking at me sadly. I looked away, knowing if I let her under my shell for too long, I would crack. Angela chuckled, touching my elbow lightly and guiding me toward the wedding dresses.

All was going well, and I had narrowed a choice between two dresses when we heard a crash and a wail. Angela let out a gasp, and threw a desperate look at me before hurrying as fast as she could in public to Alice's side, who was in a mess of fabric, letting out dry sobs. When Alice saw Angela next to her, she grabbed her shoulders and shook her. I heard Alice telling Angela to get her home in a low, quick voice, and then Angela was supporting her weight and they were out the door, as I hurried to tag along behind them.

Angela placed Alice in the back seat with me, and she hurried to the front and spun out of the parking lot. I let Alice lay down, awkwardly placed in my lap, burying her face in my shirt. I patted her black hair lightly, waiting for her to explain what she had seen.

"Jasper, Jasper... Oh no, not Jasper!" she suddenly exclaimed, fumbling in her pocket to retrieve her cell phone. She pressed a number on speed dial and held the phone up to her ear with a trembling hand. Her eyes widened with hope as I could faintly hear it ringing, then they narrowed as a voice other than Jasper answered.

"Edward? Where's Jasper?" she demanded. The rest of her conversation was too quick for me to hear. I caught things randomly, such as 'visitors' and 'the south' and 'recruiting'. They made no sense to me, until suddenly the gears whirred to life. Vampires were coming here to get Jasper back for their territory wars. I let out a small gasp, and hugged Alice tighter to me. She responded by handing me the phone, and I eagerly took it, waiting for an explanation I could actually understand.

"Bella?" I heard Edward's anxious voice asking, and I nodded my head, momentarily forgetting that he wouldn't be able to see it over the phone. But he seemed to recognize the rustling to be some sort of acknowledgment. "Bella, there is going to be a girl coming, who isn't like us... In hunting habits, I mean. Angela is getting you home as fast as she can, then you are going to stay in my room while all of this happens. We'll be able to ensure your safety there," he told me quickly.

"What did Alice see about Jasper?" I asked him, my stomach plummeting when I heard the snap of what must have been his teeth as they snapped shut.

"Well, Grecia... That's the vampire's name. She's coming to get Jasper, to help them with a string of attacks their planning that they'll need their help in. And Alice... She saw Jasper going with her," Edward told me, his voice too distant for my complete belief. But a sob came from Alice, and Angela shook her head and forced the car faster, leaving my suspicions behind.

"And where is Jasper now? Why are you on his phone?" I demanded.

"He's hunting. He's just left with Emmett and Rosalie, and they all left their phones here. I don't know what kind of stunt their pulling, but Alice didn't see any more than that single female, so they should be fine. I've got to go speak to Carlisle, but I'll see you soon, Bella," he said, and I could hear his strain to keep his tone light.

"Bye Edward. I love you," I told him quietly, before closing the phone. I moved to give it back to Alice, but she was suddenly sitting upright, her knees pulled to her chest and her fingers on her temples as she watched the future, no doubt willing it to change. I sighed quietly and looked out the window, shifting my body so I could block Alice's trembling body from the peripheral vision, when I felt something in my back pocket. I suddenly remembered that Edward had slipped something in there, and I greedily pulled it out.

It was a small silver cell phone. I opened it, and let out a large smile when I saw the background was a picture of him sitting at the piano. The banner had what I guessed was the number to the device. I rolled my eyes, telling myself not to bother, since I would definitely be giving it back to Edward - what didn't he get about 'no presents'? But nevertheless, I found that I had memorized it by the time I saw the landscape of Forks passing by.


	9. My Constant

**AN- Behold, a little look at what Alice saw that made her fall in Seattle- read it, and surely you'll understand what made her lose her cool.  
Sadly, I now have _no_ idea where Vennela has gone, so I'm left without a Beta. If anyone would like, just go ahead and leave me a PM or something. The job can, and most likely will, involve my other story, _Two Steps Back_. I just posted it, so be sure and check it out. Reviews are lovely.**

CHAPTER NINE - MY CONSTANT  
_"I close my eyes and brace myself, I only notice your face."_  
I'm Sorry, by Flyleaf

It's a funny thing, my power.  
Sometimes they come, sometimes they don't. Usually I summon them, but there are people I look for so often that updates in their future come to me willingly. That was my first clue to who I was seeing the future of now.

Anyone in my family was a good candidate. Especially Edward, for future sights of the delightfully cute moments he and Bella share, Bella, from Edward's consistent reminders to check and make sure no one was after her for the day, and, of course, Jasper.  
Ever since my first sights as a new vampire, I had tuned my visions to Jasper. From the beginning, I was constantly checking on him to find him one day, to the mysterious lover who would become my reason for living, or as close to it as _we_ got. And now, just simply to see how he was doing, what his plans for the day were- and of course, to check for any chances of attack on a human.

And so I gazed now, at the empty forest around me. It was quiet- much too quiet. Something about it made my skin prickle, but I ignored the sensation. There simply was nothing there. The silence lasted for longer than most of my usual visions did altogether, and right when I was beginning to consider bringing myself back to shopping for Bella and Edward's wedding, I saw him.

His tall leonine figure was only in my sight for small moments that were few and far apart as he stalked through the trees, but soon he came to a stop in a small area clear of vegetation, where I could see my husband easily. My eyes were all for him as he leaned down to the ground, hungrily listening to the much-too-fast heartbeat of some animal in its den underground. He paused there, and I watched as his black eyes flared with the monster that was in us all, just waiting to strike. Even in his ferocity, my heart swelled so much in pure love at his presence that I was sure he'd feel my emotions, all the way in the future.

Then suddenly, my love was on the ground. My eyes narrowed in confusion as I wondered if he was going after the small animal somewhere beneath him, until he let out a scream. A horrible, agony-filled scream. I wanted to rush forward, to help him, but my vision could not allow that. My eyes darted around wildly, looking for the source. Was it Jane? This was, in fact, her power. But as my eyes caught up to the sound of approaching footsteps, the figure walking in and out of my sight was not of the Volturi.

Jasper stopped flailing on the ground, and I fought hard to keep my eyes on the vampire approaching him, as I needed to know whom this was. My eyes narrowed even more as I felt a wave of hatred hit me- what did she have against Jasper? Who did she think she was? I realized slowly that this hatred was not just for the woman harming my husband, though that was certainly part of it; most of it was Jasper's hatred as his eyes came to rest on his attacker. He attempted to jump up and defend himself, but another spasm racked through his body, and he was left panting on the ground.

"Now now, Jasper. Let's have a little chat." The woman said, and my eyes narrowed in confusion then widened in pure shock as I recalled her face- back in the beginning, this woman was there, along with Jasper. Her body that was simply too small for the 20-something year old she was when she was changed. That dark hair, the almond-shaped eyes... In the South. With a burst of intuition, I realized why she was here. She came to recruit Jasper for more war down in Texas.  
"I said I don't need your charity, Grecia- even if I HAD gone with you to Panama." Jasper spat at her.

_What? Oh no, she must have already gone to him! When? Oh, I need to warn Jasper!_ I found myself thinking desperately, but this vision was far from done. The vibrancy was something new- usually my visions were a series of snapshots, not a long film-like production this was. It could only mean that this was happening- _soon_. And I was stuck in this vision until my power saw it fit.

"Wrong answer, my friend." She said silkily, pulling a silver rectangle from her pocket. Jasper's eyes widened and he attempted to scramble away from her sight, but Grecia wouldn't have that. A mangled yell came from my love's throat, and with a flick of her hand, Grecia tossed the lighter carelessly behind her, one of the bushes behind her now catching fire.  
"Would you like to try again?"  
Jasper shook his head violently, and my heart reached out to him. "I'm staying with my family, bi-"

His sentence was interrupted by a loud gravelly crunch, and then Grecia was tossing a block of white stone behind her, straight into the fire. I resisted the nauseating feeling that crept through me as a purple smoke started rising from the fire, and Jasper's face crumpled in pain. Then we were all swimming in his pain, as he unknowingly let out all of the emotion that was stored inside of him. But then anger followed pain, and then it changed to pity. Jasper was focusing with all his might, trying to keep Grecia's cruel hands off of him.

"Nice try, my boy. But that won't work on me. If you've forgotten, the wars of the South change your outlook on silly emotions. Not much has changed- well, actually, quite a few things have changed. A couple of lives taken for my benefit," she said quietly, almost forcing Jasper to focus excess energy on hearing her. "Now, if you remember, I can take powers of our kind by... ridding the world of their existence. And no, I'm not going to leave the rest of your family alone after this little meeting."  
Jasper's eyes snapped open, a look of horror crossing over his face.

And I was falling. Though my body didn't move, my heart and mind were failing. This wasn't going to be the last of her. She was going to destroy my love right in front of my eyes. She had read his thoughts. But most importantly; Grecia had already killed Edward. I let out a sob that no one would hear.  
Edward, my secret keeper. My brother. Gone. And soon to be joining him, my very life force. My two best friends, vanished from this Earth.

I couldn't deny the facts- she got the powers of who she killed, and there was no other vampire I knew of that could read people's thoughts as they went through their mind. Sure, there was Aro, but he would have had to touch them for that...

I shuddered, the result of this vision weighing on my shoulders with such sheer mass that it shouldn't even be possible.

And the vision kept going.

By now, Jasper was pleading to go with her, for his remaining limbs, for his family. For _me_.

"Oh no, Jasper. You and I both know that you won't be of any help with a missing arm. And leg." She purred to him, then with a flash another piece of Jasper's body was ruined, diminishing to purple smoke and ashes.

The pain that surrounded me was starting to be too much. I couldn't tell the difference between my own pain, and the pain that Jasper was unknowingly setting around the area.

But Grecia was faltering- it was getting to her, too. Being able to read his thoughts and actually feel pain with it was not going to be bearable much longer. At least this horrible nightmare would be finished soon.

I watched dubiously as Grecia tore his body to impossible pieces, then without another thought, dumped them into the fire. I felt some tugging on my brain as Grecia was by no doubt toying with her new power, but it was nothing to rid my own tormented emotions.

Then she was gone. I stumbled forward, wanting to save Jasper, though part of me knew it was impossible. I fell to the ground before the fire, but then the dusty ground was replaced by the blue tiles of the store in Seattle. A crash filled the air, and I waited on the ground. I didn't want to move. I didn't want to feel this pain any longer. Angela was above me, Bella following cautiously behind. I told her something, though I couldn't even remember what I had said as soon as it left my urgent lips. Then I was in the car, and Angela was speeding to Forks.

We _had_ to get back in time.


	10. ANNOUNCEMENT

**Okay guys. I know you all must hate me for abandoning my stories, as a number of you have expressed your interest in each. But seeing as I am no longer in possession of free time, I am going to be handing my stories over to my good friend Krixteenee, seeing as she helped me with plot lines and such from the start anyway. Knowing her, she will probably re-write them, and clear up some things that caused confusion in the past. I will be verifying any changes she may make to them, so no need to flame her if you feel like she's manipulating my stories. I want to thank you all for your support, and be on the lookout for me in author's notes for Exact Delirium and Two Steps Back.**

**Thank you all, and bear in mind that the removal of these stories from this account will happen in a week or two week's time.**


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